1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a method of controlling a refrigerator including an ice maker for making ice using chilled air.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a refrigerator is partitioned into a refrigerator compartment and a freezer compartment. The refrigerator compartment is maintained about at 3 degrees centigrade to 4 degrees centigrade such that food and vegetables can be stored in good condition for a long time, and the freezer compartment is maintained under zero degrees centigrade such that meat and other food can be stored at a frozen state.
Recently, the refrigerator includes various features such as an ice maker, a dispenser, or the like. Described in detail, the ice maker automatically performs a series of processes for ice-making without additional manipulations such that a user can conveniently obtain ice. Meanwhile, the dispenser allows the user to obtain ice or cool water at the outside of the refrigerator without opening a door of the refrigerator. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the above-mentioned ice maker equipped in a conventional refrigerator. Hereinafter, the ice maker will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The conventional ice maker 10 includes an ice-making tray 11 for forming ice-making compartments in which ice is made, a water supply 12 formed at a side of the ice-making tray 11 to supply water to the ice-making compartments, a heater installed on the lower side of the ice-making tray 11, an ejector 14 for ejecting ice made in the ice-making tray 11 to the exterior, a driving device 13 for driving the ejector 14, and ice bank 20 for receiving and accommodating the ice made in the ice-making tray 11, and an ice-fullness sensor 15 for detecting the quantity of ice accommodated in the ice bank 20.
The water supply 12 is connected to a water source external to the refrigerator and supplies water to the ice-making tray 11 when an ice-making is demanded. The ice-making tray 11 has an approximate semi-circular cross-section and partitions for partitioning the ice-making compartment into several unit cells such that an adequate quantity of predetermined sized ice is made in the ice-making tray 11.
The heater 17, as shown in FIG. 2, is installed on the lower side of the ice-making tray 11 and heats the ice-making tray 11 to melt the ice such that the ice is separated from the ice-making tray 11.
The ejector 14 includes a rotation shaft installed to cross the central area of the ice-making tray 11, and a plurality of ejector pins 14a vertically protruded from the rotation shaft. Each of the ejector pins 14a is installed to correspond to each unit cell partitioned by the partitions such that the ice in every unit cell is discharged from the ice-making tray 11 when the ejector pins 14a rotate.
In the side where the ice is discharged from the ice-making tray 11, a slide 15 is installed in a downwardly oblique state near the rotation shaft of the ejector 14. Thus, the ice discharged from the ice-making tray 11 by the ejector 14 slides on the slide 16, falls down, and is eventually accommodated in the ice bank 20 disposed under the ice maker 10.
The ice-fullness sensor 15 moves up and down by the driving device 13 to check the quantity of the ice contained in the ice bank 20. If the ice bank 20 is full with the ice, the ice-fullness sensor 15 can not move down sufficiently, so that whether or not the ice bank 20 is full is detected by the ice-fullness sensor 15.
The ice maker of the conventional refrigerator freezes water in the ice-making tray using only chilled air that is supplied to the freezer compartment for cooling the freezer compartment. Thus, when temperature of the freezer compartment descends and the chilled air is stopped to supply to the freezer compartment, the speed of making ice in the ice-making tray become slowed. Due to this, the capacity of quantity of ice made per day of the ice maker is deteriorated. Moreover, when a large quantity of ice is required in a short time, the demand cannot be satisfied.
Additionally, in the conventional ice maker of a refrigerator, in order to detect whether or not the ice bank is full, the ice-fullness sensor must be rotated. Thus, since a wide space for the rotation of the ice-fullness sensor should be secured beside the ice-making tray, the size of the ice-making tray must be relatively small so that it is difficult to produce a large quantity of ice.